Blast from the past: Mike Leach instructional video from 1997

Before he was The Pirate, before Texas Tech, before Washington State, Mike Leach was the offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky.

While Hal Mumme, Leach and quarterback Tim Couch were introducing the world to the beginnings of the Air Raid, Leach took time to create this 27-minute instructional video (and we do mean video) breaking down why Leach and co. do what they do. Attention to detail is key here, as Leach spends 10 minutes breaking down every aspect of a drill, and showing how that drill pays off during games.

If you’re a young quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator, this video is worth your time. When’s the next chance you’ll have to spend half an hour talking ball with Leach? If you’re an old-timer, it’s a good piece of nostalgia before commercialism started pouring out of the ears of college football.

By the way, Couch would go on to lead the SEC in passing yards and touchdowns in the fall of 1997, beating out some senior quarterback named Peyton Manning, en route to becoming the No. 1 pick of the 1999 NFL Draft.

National columnist - Zach joined the staff in 2012...and has been attempting to improve Doug and Scott's writing ability ever since (to little avail). Outside of football season, you can find him watching the San Antonio Spurs reading Game of Thrones fan theories.